The Phillies are still trying to patch together their outfield after a run of injuries, but Dylan Carlson won’t be part of that solution.
Philadelphia released the former first-round pick from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer on X. Carlson had been in the organization as the club looked for help in the outfield, with starting right fielder Adolis Garcia out for the season after lat surgery and Johan Rojas sidelined after an elbow injury that required an internal brace procedure.
The Phillies have already added Derek Hill from the Chicago White Sox and have also given Gabriel Rincones Jr. a look in right field. Carlson, though, never got a path to the majors with Philadelphia.
The bat simply never came around in Lehigh Valley. In 40 games and 153 plate appearances with the IronPigs, Carlson hit .181/.307/.307 with four home runs, four doubles and 18 RBI. The Phillies released OF Dylan Carlson, who batted .181 with four doubles, four homers, and a .614 OPS in 153 plate appearances in triple A.
His struggles didn’t begin in Philadelphia. Carlson played 10 games with Triple-A Iowa and managed just seven hits in 44 plate appearances, then got a brief look with the Chicago Cubs and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
If he doesn’t catch on elsewhere and make it back to the big leagues, this would mark three straight seasons with a negative bWAR. In 2024, he posted -1.2 bWAR between the Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.
Last season with the Baltimore Orioles, Carlson finished at -0.7 bWAR and hit .203/.278/.336 with six home runs and nine doubles.
It’s a steep fall for a player who once looked like a real building block in St. Louis. Carlson’s best season came in 2021, when he was worth 3.2 bWAR and posted a 115 OPS+, the only time his OPS+ has been above league average.
Still just 27, Carlson figures to draw another look from a different club soon. A team may still believe there’s enough upside left to unlock the version of him that flashed earlier in his career.
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